Trees, Time, Architecture at the Pinakothek der Moderne

It always makes me sad whenever I see piles of felled trees in the forest near where I live. I’m fully aware that wood is needed as a construction material and for making furniture, tools and musical instruments. The problem is that, in my perception at least, at the moment more trees are being felled than are being planted. If you know how much wood is needed in the future, you should plant sufficient trees now, taking into account that some trees might not survive due to natural causes. 

The exhibition “Trees, Time, Architecture!” at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich explores the complex relationship between trees and architecture, emphasizing how trees, as some of the oldest and slowest-growing organisms, contrast sharply with the rapid pace of modern social, technological, and ecological change. Trees are crucial for adapting to and combating climate change, but their slow growth presents a challenge for immediate solutions.

The exhibition highlights how trees, both living and dead, are utilized as functional and aesthetic elements in architecture, showing their role as living, ever-changing organisms and as materials shaped by their growth processes.

By showcasing projects from diverse cultural and geographic contexts, the exhibition calls for a shift from designing static objects to designing dynamic processes that integrate trees into architecture. This approach requires interdisciplinary collaboration, blending scientific knowledge, indigenous practices, and advanced technologies. The concept of "Baubotanik", using living plants as construction material, is presented as a model for sustainable, adaptable architecture. One of the best examples of this type of living architecture are the living root bridges made the Khasi people in the Jaintia and Khasi Hills in the state of Meghalaya in India. Closer to home a growing number of architecture firms are incorporating trees into their designs, such as the famous Vertical Forest in Milan by Stefano Boeri Architects.

I was surprised to learn that trees can be considered illegal, for example when they grow in places where regulations prohibit tree planting. It makes sense that trees should be at a certain distance from technical infrastructure. But in Germany there is also a law which states that the distance from a building should be half the diameter of the mature tree crown, so that it can develop unhindered. The argument that tree crowns should develop as symmetrically as possible ignores the natural adaptability of trees.

Taking inspiration from these regulations the "Tree Façades" research project develops innovative forms of incorporating trees into architecture by planting broad-canopied trees so close to a building that their crowns form a spatial and aesthetic unit with the structure serving as a natural heat shield during warm days. 

The Pinakothek der Moderne is huge and I didn't have time to see everything in one afternoon. I'm glad I returned the next morning to also visit “Trees, Time, Architecture!”

Trees, Time, Architecture! is at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich until 14 September 2025.